Condemning party official’s murder, UN envoy says Kosovo ‘sick and tired’ of violence

The head of the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) today condemned the murder over the weekend of an official in the party of President Ibrahim Rugova who had also been a prominent commander in the Kosovo Liberation Army.

“It is clear that the people of Kosovo are sick and tired of this kind of violence,” said Michael Steiner, referring to the killings on Saturday of Tahir Zemaj, his son and nephew. “Not only do these gangsters ruin Kosovo’s reputation, they work against Kosovo.”

The UNMIK chief said he was heartened to hear that many witnesses have come forward and that police have strong leads and are collecting evidence. “Progress has been made on identifying those involved,” Mr. Steiner said. “But it is also critical that people respect the police and courts and let them do their work. This also means not prejudging the results of any investigation or trial.”

Mr. Steiner’s comments came after a meeting with President Rugova in which the two discussed the murders as well as the programme for the coming year.